Shawn Colvin talks about new book, disc

Relationship drama, alcoholism, depression — Shawn Colvin has dealt with it all and survived, thanks to one friend.

“To say [music is] something I’ve turned to in times of trouble is almost an understatement; it’s just been my constant companion,” Colvin said.

“I grew up surrounded by [music], listening to it. I think a lot of people do and that doesn’t necessarily mean that they fell in love with it the way I did. I find so much solace; it was both comforting and inspiring. And then to top it all off, I could sing.”

Colvin tells her story in “Diamond in the Rough,” a memoir that shares the title of a song from her Grammy Award-winning disc, “Steady On.” Released in June, the 240-page book mirrors her music, which is honest and witty.

Shawn Colvin

“I’ve had to have humor; that was necessary,” she said with a laugh during a call from her home in Austin, Texas.

She talked about being upfront about her struggles.

“Part of my salvation has been people who have been willing to be open and honest with me, people who have suffered from alcoholism and depression.

“When you hear honesty from people who have actually gone through something that you’re going through, it’s about the most helpful thing there is, I would say. So I like to give that back.

“And I’m just so used to this feeling that comes with being honest about things that people don’t necessarily still like to acknowledge or talk about it,” Colvin said.

The singer also wrote about the stories behind her songs, including “Get Out of This House,” “Fill Me Up,” “Shotgun Down the Avalanche” and “Sunny Came Home,” which won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1998.

“All Fall Down,” Colvin’s eighth studio CD, also came out in June. Recorded in Nashville, the disc features several guests: Alison Krauss, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jakob Dylan and Emmylou Harris.

“My producer, Buddy Miller, is well-loved, deeply respected, and records in his home, and there’s this kind of open-door policy,” she said of the added star power.

Colvin will play a solo show at 8 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $42.50. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

“When I go out and sing, it’s generally by myself, and it’s just a very pure experience that I appreciate more and more as time goes on because as natural as it feels to me to go and entertain by myself, as the years go by, I’m just more and more appreciative that people still come and the fact that it’s my responsibility to take care of them for that hour and a half by myself.

“It’s almost more daunting than it used to be; in your youth, you take things for granted and you’re cockier,” she said and laughed.

“So it’s an extremely rewarding experience all around for me because that expression for me is vital, and my communication with the audience and their trust in me to move them is also invaluable to me; I need it.”

The singer said she’s working on a disc and may play a new song or two.

“‘Hell No, I’m Not Alright’ is one of them,” Griffith said and laughed again. “People ask you if you’re all right and they know you’re not, that’s what it’s about. And the audience has their participation, clapping in there, making it work. It’s fun.”

She has been singing — and writing — since she was 6 years old.

“I write about things that I read and try to interpret, and I think they’re important things, like ‘The Loving’ from ‘The Loving Kind.’ I think that’s important to American history,” the guitarist said.

Inspired by an obituary in the newspaper, Griffith wrote about Mildred and Richard Loving, a mixed-race couple who were put in jail when they married in 1958. Their case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down state laws against interracial marriage.

“I write about things that are important to me,” Griffith said during a call from her Nashville home.

Listen to “Not Innocent Enough,” another track from “The Loving Kind,” the songwriter’s 19th disc released in 2009. The song tells the story of Philip Workman, who was convicted of murdering a policeman and executed despite questionable evidence.

“I’m an opponent of the death penalty, and I think America has grown enough that we need to be grown-ups about it and stop trying to take people’s lives,” she said. “But at the same time, I write about things that I think were wrong in my country, and that’s about all I can do.”

While the folk legend has a reputation for addressing political and social issues, she’s also known for her introspective music.

“Everything’s about me as a writer, so within any context of any song, there’s something of me,” she said.

“Sing,” another song from “The Loving Kind,” seems autobiographical: “Music is the life in me, it’s the melody I breathe/ It gives me strength in harder times and reason to believe…/ And in the end I wouldn’t change a thing, I’d sing.”

The breast and thyroid cancer survivor has penned country hits for other artists: “Love at the Five and Dime” for Kathy Mattea, “Outbound Plane” for Suzy Boggus, “Gulf Coast Highway” for Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.

And she won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for her 1993 disc, “Other Voices, Other Rooms.” Last year the Texas native received a Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC Radio 2’s Folk Awards.

“I don’t think folk music will ever change. I think it’s writing about the social climate that you live in, and if you live within it, then it’s important,” Griffith said. “And whether it’s important 10 years from now or 20 years from now, I don’t know. But Pete Seeger still remains relevant within our lifetime, and he’s 92.”